Pubdate: Thu, 27 Dec 2012
Source: Porterville Recorder (CA)
Copyright: 2012 Freedom Communications Inc.
Contact: http://www.recorderonline.com/sections/editor-form/
Website: http://www.recorderonline.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2887

AUTHORITIES WILL NEED TO STAY ON POT GROWERS

More than 200,000 marijuana plants were confiscated and destroyed by 
local law enforcement this year in Tulare County, an astounding 
figure, but one that shows the effort to eradicate the illicit 
growing of the popular weed will not end soon.

Those in law enforcement will tell you that they are only making a 
small dent in the growing of marijuana locally. While we agree that 
may be true, it did seem this summer that some progress was made to 
discourage the illegal growing of marijuana in the county.

In the past couple of the years the growing of marijuana on the 
Valley floor mushroomed. Hundreds of gardens popped up all over the 
county, many on the east side along the foothills, but also in towns 
like Alpaugh and Earlimart.

The false use of medical marijuana letters has led to the 
proliferation of the illegal gardens. Most gardens are just a few 
hundred plants, but there were some very large ones as well, up to 
more than 2,000 plants.

These are not local pot smokers growing some for themselves and a few 
friends. These are sophisticated gardens designed to produce 
thousands of pounds of marijuana that will eventually be sold on the 
street. These are gardens planned and financed by people who will not 
tolerate theft and are usually armed to protect their valuable crop.

As long as California has the conflict between the federal law that 
outlaws marijuana and the state law that allows possession and 
growing of marijuana if you have a letter from a doctor, then there 
will be those who will use that conflict to grow large amounts of marijuana.

As much success as Tulare County Sheriff's Department officials had 
this summer, they will not be able to relax on cracking down on the 
illegal marijuana growers. Growing pot is far too simple and way too 
profitable for the cartels and others in organized crime to stop now. 
Only when the efforts to stop the growers make Tulare County a bad 
place for those criminals to do business, will the number of farms, 
and the dangers they bring, begin to subside.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom